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Flaming Heart 4th Release 2012

Whisky Review

What they say:

Flaming Heart is back. Every few years, when we have the appropriate combination of aged whiskies, we are able to blend and bottle a new edition of the award-winning Flaming Heart. This is our fourth.
It is a big, smoky malt whisky with rich, concentrated vanilla and spice character. It is unlike any other whisky, owing to the combination of distillery whiskies we use and the variety and quality of the casks.

Availability Limited release of 9,147 bottles. Bottled in August 2012. Flavour Descriptors A big, complex, smoky malt whisky with rich, concentrated vanilla and spice character. Recommendations Sipped neat or with the addition of water, to taste. Distillery Sourcing Single malt whiskies from distilleries located in the Northern Highlands, Islay, Speyside and Islands. Primarily from the south shore of Islay and the village of Brora (Highlands). Wood A combination of refill American oak (ex-Bourbon), new French oak (heavily toasted) and sherry casks.
Bottling Details Bottled at 48.9%. Not chill filtered. Natural colour.

This is a whisky inspired by a rock song.
Appropriate, perhaps, as rock music has long been associated with rebellion against various societal norms. And our humble company has been associated, for better or for worse, with a reaction against the “traditions” of Scotch whisky production.
We like to think of our approach as reflecting a craft ethos –making whisky better for the sake of it. Flaming Heart is an ideal example of this approach.
It is a whisky that combines Highland single malt whiskies aged on the highest quality, new French oak, with a heavy-peated Islay single malt. And for the first time, we add to this edition of Flaming Heart a small portion of whiskies aged in sherry casks, providing added layers of richness and complexity.
In the melodramatic parlance of a rock lyric, it is a whisky born of fire, yet one with a big heart. Share and enjoy

What I say:

Many thanks to Adrian who managed to find/score a bottle of this for a sensible price long after it was sold out in the shops, originally released in 2012.

Finish:

Long, citrus grapefruit and lime, tannic & woody, herbs & spices,

Overall:

Very nice whisky. This is a superb blend which is at times almost challenging with the power and complexity of its flavours but actually not as you just have to give in to it. Peaty with all the right influences and flavours!